Kremlin Demands Explanation for ‘Outrageous’ U.S. Remarks About Putin

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In an interview with the BBC program Panorama, Adam J. Szubin, the Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Russian President Vladimir V. Putin obscured his actual wealth.Published OnJan. 29, 2016CreditImage by Pool photo by Mikhail Klimentyev

MOSCOW — Statements by two senior American officials that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has enriched himself through corruption are “outrageous and insulting,” Dmitry S. Peskov, the president’s spokesman, said on Friday.

Adam J. Szubin, the Treasury Department’s acting secretary for terrorism and financial crimes, said in an interview broadcast by the BBC this week that Mr. Putin was a “picture of corruption,” using state funds to enrich his closest friends while disguising his own wealth.

Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, backed up that position, saying that the Treasury’s assessment “best reflects the administration’s view.”

Mr. Peskov accused the Obama administration of trying to lay the groundwork to influence the outcome of Russia’s next presidential election, in 2018, by attacking the Russian leader.

“It is clear that negative stuff is being accumulated, negative stuff with regard to the head of our state,” Mr. Peskov told the Interfax news agency. “It is certainly being used to put pressure and exert influence over the course of the election campaign.”

The Kremlin has demanded that Washington provide clarification about the accusations. “We need further explanations, because such a statement is absolutely unprecedented,” Mr. Peskov said.

Some of Mr. Putin’s friends have amassed vast fortunes in banking, construction and other fields since he assumed office, but the Kremlin has long brushed aside reports that the president himself has benefited during his time in office.

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